The angel kept glaring at me. “Really, James? Lila translates the spell for you, Edwin even coaches you on it, and you still couldn’t use it properly?”
“Youtry fighting a demon king and reciting some ancient spell at the same time!” I retorted. “I did my best, okay? It obviously worked if Vuheia was able to possess me.”
“It worked because you had the right intention and an open heart, otherwise it wouldn’t have.”
Semantics. It worked. That was all I cared about. “Can I watch the battle?”
“If you’d like.”
She waved a hand at the mist and a circular window opened from an aerial view. I watched as my own body gained strength and a speed I’d never possessed, launching straight at Zag’druren. He was now the one hard-pressed, barely defending himself. It was obvious from the insults he was hurtling, too, that he realized the spell had worked.
The Demon King was no match for the Goddess of War. She had him subdued in a minute flat, pinned to the ground with my sword, all smiles as she leaned in closer to his face.
“Now, Zag’druren, what did we learn?” she purred.
“James is a favorite of yours, isn’t he?” Zag’druren snapped back.
“And Edwin. Your takeaway from this is:Leave my boys alone. I’m very unhappy you killed them in the first life. It’s why I came down here to deal with you myself.”
“You’re not supposed to do that!”
“You’re not supposed to be up here, either. You can persuade, manipulate, and bribe people, but you’re not supposed to take over their bodies, you utter moron. You broke the rules, which means I can break the rules.”
“Owww! Stop fucking twisting the blade!”
“It’s the price you pay for not staying in Hell. You broke the laws of direct interference, so you really can’t complain. Don’t think you can get back out, either. I won’t allow it. Now, back you go.”
As the Demon King’s energy abruptly left Victor’s corpse and snaked back through the portal’s cracks, I cheered, so happy I felt like crying. I didn’t know if it was appropriate to give a goddess a hug, but I was damn tempted. She had done the very thing I’d struggled with and failed to achieve. I wanted to dance, sing, and shout all at once.
I admittedly also felt a bit miffed. If it was this fucking easy, why hadn’t someone told me about the spell in the first life? It could have been over in five minutes then, too!
Granted, I hadn’t been in any state to use it after Edwin was killed, but still!
With a wave of “my” hand, Valentina’s body also dropped like an abandoned marionette, her energy seeping straight into the portal. The priests had apparently done their jobs well enough that Vuheia was able to finish sealing the portal without direct contact. I saw the other possessed people also collapsing, priests rushing to aid them. It seemed that when Vuheia returned the Demon King and Valentina—or whatever demon had been inhabiting Valentina—back to Hell, the possessions canceled themselves out. Phew, good, that was a worry I didn’t need todeal with. My people were handling the aftermath of this battle very well. I’d reward them for it later.
Then Vuheia lightly stepped to the portal, knelt, and placed one hand against it.
“Is she…” I almost didn’t dare ask but I had to know, because surely I was not seeing this right. “Is she permanently sealing the portal?”
“You are correct. She is. She wanted to do this last time, but no one called upon her, so her hands were tied. There’s many rules about how much the gods and goddesses can directly interfere with the mortal realm.”
“If you’d told me, I would have happily done it.”
“You also died immediately,” she pointed out.
Touché.
Although this gave me more food for thought. The spell had been powerful enough, even half recited, to give her the ability to do this?
I now felt bad about not reciting it properly.
For a moment, just a moment, time seemed to stay utterly still. I blinked, and Vuheia suddenly stood before me. She looked like the depictions in the temple, her raven hair in a high ponytail, the ornaments of gold on her, with the thigh-high boots and sword strapped to her side. At the same time, those depictions did nothing to convey her stunning beauty. I doubted any amount of paint or skill could do so.
“Vuheia.” I greeted her with a bow and a smile that threatened to break my face. “Thank you so much.”
“You did well, my child.” She put her hands on my shoulders, ducking down to eye level. “I’m so incredibly proud of you and Edwin for doing it right this time. I know how much of a struggle this was. But this time, the demon realm is properly sealed. So enjoy your life with Edwin to the fullest, without worry. Andwhen you have finished your time there, return to me, as I miss you both dreadfully.”
Part of me was in awe at being able to see her in person. Surely this was a one in a million event, being able to speak directly to your goddess. My very soul shivered, overwhelmed by her divinity. Another part of mefeltthe love she had for me, like my heart was directly connected to hers, and validated all over again I was truly her child.
